Truth
by Elektra1
Summary: Spike points something out to Buffy that she may not want to hear


Truth 

By: [Elektra][1]

_ Author's note: Keep in mind I haven't read ANY spoilers whatsoever, so I have no idea what the plans are for Joyce and her illness. - Elektra_

SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL - night time 

Spike leaned against the wall and watched the Slayer from a distance. She seemed distressed. Obviously the doc was giving her some news she didn't like. 

The doctor was looking a little uncomfortable, "_Not a people person, eh_ _doc?_" the blond vampire thought. 

A perky little fourteen year old came up to Buffy's side, blabbering away about whatever 14 year old brats blabbered away about. 

The doctor spoke to Dawn. Dawn's face fell, then she perked up. Spike stepped away from the wall and walked up to the little group, wanting to hear what was going on. 

"So she's ok now?!" Dawn said. She hugged Buffy, "I'm so happy!! Mom's gonna be ok!!" she loked at the doctor, "How long 'till we can see her?" 

"She's still asleep. Why don't you two go out for a bite to eat, and come back in about an hour or so..." the doctor said, "I have to head to the O.R. I'll see you girls later..." with that, the doctor headed off. 

"Hey, Buff?" a voice called out. Riley had arrived. Spike and the ex-soldier exchanged unfriendly glances, then the human quickly put an arm around Buffy, "What's going on?" he asked. 

"Riley... can you take Dawn out for something to eat... I... I need to go for a walk..." Buffy said. 

"Aren't you hungry, Buffy?" Dawn asked. 

"Not right now. I'll eat later. Go with Riley, ok?" 

Dawn shrugged, "Sure..." 

"Sit down for a sec, Dawn. I gotta talk to your sister for a moment," Riley replied, then pulled Buffy a few feet away, "What's wrong?" he asked. 

Buffy shook her head, "I... I'll tell you later. I just need some fresh air right now, ok?" 

Riley nodded reluctantly, and Buffy headed out. 

"Sodding humans can be so moody sometimes..." Spike spoke up. 

Riley glared at him, "And what do YOU know about humans?" 

"I was human once m'self, mate..." Spike replied, "Glad I'm not anymore, though. All those emotions..." he shivered, "Enough to make a vamp ill..." 

"What are you doing here anyway?" Riley asked. 

"Came to check up on the Slayer's mum..." Spike explained. 

"Yeah right... why are you REALLY here?" 

"Because I was bored..." the blond vampire replied. 

"Because you were _bored_?" Riley repeated, "Why don't you just leave Buffy alone? She doesn't need YOUR kind hanging around right now..." 

"MY kind? I'm shocked at your lack of political correctness, Captain Cardboard. I really am..." 

"Get out of here, Spike. This is family time, not 'I'm a bored vampire so I think I'll torment the Slayer' time," 

"Ahhh... too bad. And here I was hoping to brass her off a bit..." Spike smiled coldly. 

"Hey, Spike..." Dawn called out from her seat a few feet away, not hearing their conversation, "You gonna come over to our house for some cocoa? The doc said they got rid of my mom's tumor! She's going to be ok!" 

Spike looked at Dawn. It seemed kids only heard what they wanted to hear. Judging from the look on Buffy's face earlier, things weren't going to be as hunky-dory as Dawn would like to believe, "Not tonight, kid..." he replied. 

"Since when are you buddies with Buffy's sister?" Riley asked. 

Spike's voice was low enough that Dawn couldn't hear, "I'm not, but the brat seems fond of me," 

"Too bad no one else is..." Riley said. 

"Ooooh... I'm hurt, Cap'n... really... you don't know how much your opinion means to me..." 

"Shut up, Spike," Riley snapped, then went to sit beside Dawn. 

"Well, I'll be on my way then..." Spike said. He felt Riley's eyes burning into his back as he left the hospital. 

*** 

SUNNYDALE GRAVEYARD - night time 

Spike sat on a tombstone and lit a cigarette. He was still bored. Unable to hunt or kill anything for fear of suffering excrutiating pain DID put a damper on one's social life. Normally, he'd hang out with the local vamps that Buffy hadn't staked yet, but with the chip in his head, he'd be a laughing stock. 

He furrowed his brow as he heard a quiet noise a few feet away. Was someone sobbing? Hmmm... the victim of a crime? Of a vampire attack? His curiousity was peaked. 

Spike jumped off the tombstone and headed towards the sobbing. He saw a petite female form sitting against a tree, hugging her knees to her chest, head down. He couldn't mistake that golden shampoo-commercial hair... 

"Slayer?" he began. 

Buffy looked up, startled. She frowned when she saw him and quickly wiped the tears from her face, "Go away..." 

Spike tossed his cigarette onto a freshly dug grave, "Oh, let me guess... you're in slayer mode? Hoping your crying would lure vamps to you so you can stake 'em?" he asked sarcastically. 

"Well, it worked for YOU, Spike..." she replied, but didn't reach for her weapon, opting instead just to stare off into the distance. 

Spike crouched down beside her, growing serious, "What's wrong?" he asked. 

"I don't want to talk about it..." 

"Deja vu..." Spike muttered, then sat on the grass beside her, "If I sit here long enough, will you take me out for drinks and tell me?" 

Buffy's voice was quiet, "It may come back..." 

"What?" Spike asked, "What may come back?" 

"The doctor said there was a chance my mom's tumor could come back... if the medication doesn't work..." her voice was quiet, "Dawn only heard the 'we cut out the tumor' part. I don't think she's realized how sick my---" she paused, "OUR mother is.." 

Spike's voice was quiet, "Sorry to hear that, Slayer. You know you need to tell your sis..." 

"She's not my sister..." Buffy replied, then shook her head, "It's a long story... but she's not my sister..." 

"Long story? I've got about five hours until sunrise. Care to share it?" Spike asked. 

Buffy hesitated, then told him what she knew about the key. The key that was given human form -- the form of a 14 year old girl. 

After the story, Spike nodded, "So your sis has no bleedin' clue what the hell she is?" 

"She thinks she's human... she thinks she's my sister..." Buffy grew quiet as she looked up at Spike, "I can't lose my mother, Spike! She's all I have!" 

"Oh piffle! You have the scoobies! You have Captain Cardboard! You even have that bloody Watcher," Spike looked at her, "_And you've got me, luv..._" he wanted to say, but didn't dare. 

Buffy covered her face with her hands, her voice strained as she talked, "I need my mother, Spike... I need my mother..." her shoulders started to shake as she sobbed quietly. 

Spike was at a loss. He hesitantly put an arm around her, and was surprised when she buried her face in his shoulder and wept silently. 

He rested his chin on top of her golden head, "It's ok, Buffy..." he whispered, though he figured she probably wasn't paying attention to his words. 

"What the hell is going on here?" 

"Riley!" Buffy quickly pulled away from Spike and embraced her boyfriend. They whispered sweet nothings to each other, and he gently wiped her tears away, asking what was wrong. She repeated what the doctor had told her, "I have to get back to the hospital. I have to see if my mom's awake yet..." 

Riley tightened his arms around Buffy and glared at Spike over her shoulder, "What is HE doing here?" 

Spike stood up and brushed off his black duster, "I just happened to walk by, saw the gal crying, decided to lend a shoulder," 

"Yeah, well _I'm_ here now. You can go..." Riley replied. 

"I was just about to, mate. Sun's coming up soon, you know. With that, Spike turned his back on the two humans and headed home. 

*** 

SPIKE'S PLACE 

"Harm?" Spike called out. No answer, "Harmony?" Still no answer. "Tramp's probably out cavorting around," he muttered, not that he really cared what the air-headed vamp did, "Well, then, time I should take a nap..." He tossed his coat over a nearby chair and flopped on the bed, falling into a peaceful sleep, only distrupted by dreams of a particular vampire slayer he'd rather not dream about. 

*** 

MAGIC SHOP - the next night 

"Why didn't you tell me how serious your mom's condition was back at the hospital?" Riley asked as he and Buffy sat quietly in the corner of Giles' magic shop. 

"Dawn was there. I didn't want to scare her..." 

Riley sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "It seems the only person you confide in is Spike! I thought you hated him..." 

"I feel sorry for him..."Buffy replied, "I mean, he's been so pathetic lately..." 

Riley let out a small laugh, "A vampire slayer pitying a vampire," he shook his head. 

"You think I'm being silly?" she asked. 

"I'd never say that, Buff... but..." 

"I know, I know. Major weirding on my part," she stood up, "Anyway, I need to get on patrol, and then I've got to visit my mom. She's been in and out of consciousness... I want to be there when she finally wakes up." 

"Ok... just... stay away from Spike. I don't trust him..." Riley said. 

"Riley," Buffy began, "Are you getting jealous over a dead guy? I'm rather fond of having a BREATHING boyfriend, so no worries... Ok?" she ruffled his hair and left the magic shop. 

*** GRAVEYARD 

Buffy wiped the ashes off her pants. Slaying was a messy business. 

"Well... busy night, slayer?" a voice spoke behind her. 

Buffy spun around, stake ready. She relaxed when she saw who it was, "Oh, it's just you, Spike..." 

"Just me?" Spike asked, "There was a time when 'just me' was enough for you to try and ram that pointy stick through my heart..." 

"Yeah, well, that was when you were actually a threat..." 

"You don't have to keep bloody reminding me!" he replied, then pulled out a cigarette, "So... was the Cap'n all jealous when he found you crying on my shoulder?" 

"Riley loves me. He's above getting jealous over petty things like that," Buffy replied. No need for Spike to know about her earlier conversation with Riley. 

"He's a MAN, Slayer. If he DOESN'T get jealous, I'd start wondering if he truly loved you," Spike cocked his head, "And if his lack of jealousy doesn't bother you, I'd wonder if you even loved HIM..." 

Buffy grew irritated, "Maybe I SHOULD shove this stake through your heart," she snapped, "How can you stand there and have the GALL to question my loyalty to Riley?" 

"I questioned your LOVE, Slayer... not your LOYALTY..." Spike flicked the ashes off his cigarette, "Tell me.. does your pulse thunder when you see him? Does your heart skip a beat? Do your palms sweat?" he came closer, "Do you ache for him when he's not near? Does it hurt you to see him in pain? Do you ever want to take him in your arms and never let go?" There was barely any breathing space between the two now, "Well, Slayer? How 'bout it? Are you in love with the Cap'n?" 

Buffy shoved him away angrily, "What do YOU know about love? The un-dead don't exactly have that warm and fuzzy vibe..." 

Spike smirked, "You'd be surprised, Slayer..." he took a drag off his cigarette, "You're _not_ in love with him, are you?" he stated matter-of-factly, "You're in love with the IDEA of him. You're in love with the idea of a nice, normal boyfriend. A loyal puppy dog," he looked at her, "Someone who won't bolt when the going gets tough," 

"Leave Angel out of this," Buffy snapped. 

Spike raised an eyebrow, "I was being hypothetical, Slayer... but let's talk about Angel then, shall we?" 

"I have to go," Buffy began to walk away. 

"You're not over him," Spike spoke up, freezing her in her tracks, "You'll NEVER be over him. You're only with the Cap'n because you CAN'T be with Angel..." 

Buffy spun on him, "That's a lie!" she shouted. 

"Is it now, Slayer?" he asked, "The Cap doesn't go wonky when you shag, he's boringly _human _. SAFE. THAT is the reason you're with him, isn't it? It's not because you're in love him. You'll _never_ be in love with anyone. Not as long as you're still tied to Angel. The Cap'n should accept that fact. _I_ have.." 

Buffy looked at him, confusion clear on her beautiful face, "YOU?" 

"Oh bugger," Spike whispered, and quickly extinguished his cigarette on a nearby gravestone. 

Buffy took a few steps towards him, "What did you mean, YOU'VE accepted it?" 

"I meant nothing, Slayer. Just saying that it's general knowledge," he replied quickly, unable to look at her. 

"Spike... do you--" she stopped. No. That was impossible. 

"Do I... what? Hate the bloody lot of you humans and your emotional problems? Yes. I do." 

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, Spike grabbed the stake from her hand and threw it. 

Buffy turned to see the vampire behind her become ashes, "Bloody eavesdroppers," Spike muttered, "If you'll excuse me, Slayer, I'll leave you to your patrolling," with that, Spike disappeared into the shadows, leaving Buffy to digest what he had said... 

"_Damn Spike!_" Buffy thought, but why was she so angry with him? Was it just her normal reaction to the soul-less vampire... or was it the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was a truth in his words that Buffy didn't want to admit? 

THE END 

Go back to [Television Fanfiction][2]

   [1]: mailto:elektra_2@hotmail.com
   [2]: TVFanfic.html



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